Patterson was used as a late second-half substitute in the Europa League clash, as Rangers slipped to a 1-0 loss on the night and a 4-1 exit on aggregate.
Skipper James Tavernier was brought off, with the academy graduate replacing him in the 77th minute and the youngster put in a positive performance, impressing Gerrard.
Following the match, the Rangers manager took time to praise Patterson and advised him to keep working hard and improving to give the senior players within the team a run for their money.
“It was also a fantastic opportunity to give the kid valuable experience going up against top-quality athletes”, Gerrard was quoted as saying by The Athletic.
“Nathan just needs to keep working as hard as he can, keep trying to improve and hopefully he’ll get many more cracks at players of this level.”
Patterson will now be looking for further first team opportunities at Ibrox and Rangers have two games coming in quick succession, with St Mirren visiting on Sunday, followed by St Johnstone arriving; both are Scottish Premiership fixtures.
